Car rental in Italy

Double check all the usual comparison/broker sites for the best rates. Yes you will have to do a lot of leg work but it is worth it. Try these to start with:

  • Make sure you check the amount for the security deposit, if I remember correctly it can be quite high in Italy
  • Look into protecting your excess with an extra coverage before you go (the 3 above offer extra coverage) - you have seen the way the Italians drive right? ;)
  • Dont expect a beautiful car, free from scratches and/or dents if you end up with a local supplier (rather than an International one - Avis, Alamo etc) so make sure you do a full walk round the car and mark off every single tiny mark on it before you sign the paper work
  • Check the actual location of the hire office. Some will not be on the airport and you will have to get a shuttle bus to sort out your hire
  • edit: Make sure the main driver has a credit card in their own name for collection and security deposit
  • edit2: Dont forget to take BOTH parts of your UK driving licence for when you collect the car
 
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Check the fuel policy. There's usually 2 different options:

1- It's full when you get it and you fill it up again before you return it.
2- It's full when you get it and you dont need to refill it. You are charged for a full tank of fuel (regardless of how much you actually used) and a refuelling fee (somewhere around 20-30 euros).

I hired a car in spain recently and it was difficult to find somewhere offering option 1 (ended up with europcar) but it is a much cheaper way to do it. And they still tried to offer me their own refuelling service when i took it as well.
 
I've recently got back from Rome and would say don't get a car unless your staying outside Rome and need to get in or want to visit places outside Rome. Looks like it would be quite interesting with the lack of road markings lol. And zebra crossings out there is don't stop unless the person is in the middle of the road.

Me and my other half were there for 10 days and we went to every big things in rooms and a lot of the smaller places and walked to every one apart from the Vatican (which we bought a metro pass which was only about 5 euros for the day each) and we still had 2 whole days to visit some museums and go out and buy some souvenirs. The Colosseum only took 40 min to walk to from our hotel which was 5 min the opposite was from the main train station. Be sure to pre book your tickets for the Colosseum or the Vatican if you plan to visit them so you can avoid the 2-3 hour queue. Colosseum ticket also gets you into Palatine Hill and vice versa.

Hope it's some sort of help.
 
Oh and if you get stopped to take a photo with someone dressed as a Roman say no and keep walking unless you want to spend 20 Euros per person for the photos lol.
 
hopeful_builder said:
and what to look out for?
Click to expand...

Look up Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL) and find out what the sign looks like to avoid huge automatic fines. Find out whether you can drive where you expect or not in advance.

re rental cars, check the policy and preferably avoid pick up full return empty as they charge you an inflated price for a full tank of fuel on top of the rental price. [just seen that's mentioned above]

When we rented in Italy we went with Europcar which costs slightly more in terms of base price (but through a broker, which is cheaper) but you generally know what you're getting. It depends what you want really. You'll still get ripped off for excess insurance if you don't buy it yourself before hand.

Don't forget to compare cashback for the broker sites from topcashback etc.

Fuel in Italy is about as expensive as it gets. Diesel is cheaper there so if you do a lot of miles you probably want a diesel, not that you really have a choice.. it probably will be anyway unless it's a tiny car.

Have also driven all the way to Italy which saves this hassle :p ;)
 
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It is unlikely that you'll to find a space to park on the street so check that your hotel has garaged parking (may cost more). We also used Europacar and picked up from Fumancino airport. The car was used to/from airport and trips outside of Rome. As mentioned before, you don't need a car for sightseeing in the city.
 
Assuming you do decide you want a car, you must be VERY careful.

Southern Europe is FULL of ripoff car hire companies - some multinational, some local. My advice is that even though the up front cost willl look more expensive, ONLY book with the international brands - that'll be Hertz, Avis, Europcar (Alamo/National/Enterprise are the same bunch in Europe) or Sixt. Book with one of these brands - do it through a broker if you want a better price but make sure you KNOW WHO THE FIRM IS before booking. Then decline ALL extra insurance and purchase excess insurance in the UK before your trip from somebody like insurance4carhire or similar.

This will give you the best chance of a decent car, a full to full fuel policy and no ridiculous 2 hour queues at airport rental car desks to be sold a load of extra rubbish you don't need and ripped off for prepaid fuel by somebody who pretends they can't speak English.

The savings are NOT worth it.
 
Driving in Italy is an "experince" but fun once you get the hang of it :)

I would also avoid Holidayautos like the plague - robbing lieing gits they are
 
I've recently returned from Italy and have had experience driving there before.

Firstly, the majority of Italians drive like complete morons. Don't get bullied by other cars and let them overtake when they are up your arse.

Speed camera's in Italy are sneaky, they tend to be small and blue and on the sides of the road. There are no lines on the road to 'warn you' so be careful. The majority of these are empty but you never know.

Always take out additional insurance online via price comparison sites to cover excess. Typically, most rental companies with 'pre charge' a credit card with £600-£700 worth of excess. I have an annual insurance worldwide for £50 per annum. The last thing you need is someone to scrape/scratch your car and to be hit with a massive excess surcharge.

Ensure you take photographs of the car, both inside and outside and also photograph the fuel (full) once returned unless otherwise stipulated. Take a good look at the car before you set off and ensure they record and scratches no matter how small.

Other than that have fun, rather you then me driving about in Rome lol....i seriously would NOT recommend it. Get a hotel outside Rome, there are plenty of transfers/buses in and out.

I've used both Hertz and Holiday Auto's (DOLLAR) which were fine. But the excess cover gives you peace of mind.
 
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